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U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad, Telangana, India
from Architectural Products - January/February 2023
by Buildings & Construction Group
The new U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, processes the secondhighest number of visa applications in the world.
The new 12.2-acre complex orients buildings to preserve the site’s most prominent boulder formations. Winding through gardens and rocks on an accessible path is reminiscent of the climb many undertake to the city’s ancient Golconda Fort ruins.
Textured cast-inplace concrete is both the building envelope and structure of the 192,856-sq.-ft. chancery. The façade is overlaid with an ornamental sunshade, that calls to mind a jali (or jaali), a traditional latticed screen with ornamental geometric designs.
While stunning in cut, formed, and cast brass alloy, these panels are practical too; they reduce glare by filtering the light and limit views for privacy.
The Consulate is aiming for U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certification. It is predicted the complex will use 80% less water and 50% less energy than a non-certified building.
TRADITIONAL EXAMPLES
Jali (or jaali), a traditional latticed screen with ornamental geometric designs. An example of traditional ones to the left.
U.S. Consulate General in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Located on an irregular shaped parcel of land originally planned for a high-rise residential development, the U.S. Consulate General in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, had to be carefully designed to accommodate the residential neighborhood it is surrounded by on three sides, as well as honor the culture and community of the host city.
The Consulate’s signature design element reimagined the balcony and shading element in conventional Mexican architecture. A twostory external façade armature clad in patinated zinc is a striking contrast against the white precast building encased within it. The steel structure and perforated metal sunshade:
Shield adjacent residences for privacy.
Frame desirable views.
Reduce solar gain and maximize usable daylight in interiors.
Increase comfort in outdoor areas.
While its design is birthed from traditional Mexican building practices, its execution has a decidedly American aesthetic. The pattern is a deconstructed fivepoint star and the bars of the American flag.
A green roof and solar panels, as well as aggressive water conservation strategies like rainwater harvesting and xenic landscaping will help the project achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certification.
U.S. Consulate General Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Size: 10,571 sq. ft.
Broke Ground: March 2019
Est’d Completion: August 2023
Renderings: ©Richärd Kennedy Architects
U.S. Consulate General Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Size: 182,111 sq. ft.
Broke ground: November 2022
Estimated Completion: 2026
Renderings: ©Richärd Kennedy Architects
U.S. Consulate General in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Construction began recently on the new U.S. Consulate General in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The relatively confined 3.7acre site in the downtown neighborhood of Cicade Nova, along with the need for setbacks, resulted in a predominately vertical program.
Rio De Janeiro’s geologic vertical points and peaks have been reinterpreted at the new Consulate as two structural towers of varying heights atop a two-story plinth. The office towers are bridged at the upper floors by multi-story interaction spaces called hubs. The two-tower central office building is surrounded by five support buildings and on-site below grade parking. Most consular services are located on the second floor and accessed by an exterior cast-in-place concrete ramp, where visitors can wait in queue during peak times.
The project is aiming for U.S. Green Building Council LEED Silver certification and projecting an energy performance that is 32% below the ashrae 90.1 baseline. Photovoltaic canopies and chilled beam systems will be employed, and the building envelope’s brise-soleil (of vertical perforated aluminum fins) is predicted to reduce solar heat gain on the glazed faces by 44%. To conserve water, stormwater will be captured, treated onsite, and used for landscape irrigation, water features, and cooling towers. Low-flow plumbing fixtures are also being installed.
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